Serious injuries to cyclists soar

CTC – the national cycling charity – has responded to news of a 16% increase in cyclist serious injuries in one year, by saying that the Government can’t expect more and safer cycling whilst at the same time cutting back on traffic policing and other road safety measures.

Cycle use rose very slightly in 2011, outweighed by the large increase in cycle casualties. Other road user groups also saw increases in casualties, including a 6% increase in car occupant deaths and a 12% increase in pedestrian deaths. Overall deaths and serious injuries both increased slightly.

CTC’s Campaigns Director, Roger Geffen, said: “We may now be seeing the results of the Government’s previous ‘ending the war on the motorist’ rhetoric, suggesting that road safety wasn’t a priority. Ministers now need to reassert the importance of creating safe and attractive cycling conditions, promoting safe driving and tackling the threats posed by lorries. Creating safe conditions for existing and would-be cyclists is important not just for our health and the environment, but for the safety of other road users too.”

He continued, “Britain’s cycle safety record is falling even further behind other north European countries which have far higher levels of cycle use. We still have only a tiny fraction of our residential streets covered by 20 mph schemes, while hostile roads, bad driving and weak law enforcement remain serious barriers to getting more people cycling.”

Cycle use in 2011 was 4.9 billion kms, a little higher than last year’s figure, which has been revised to 4.8 bn kms. The likelihood of dying while cycling is 55% lower than it was in 1990.

In 2011/12 cycling increased by 9% in London alone, where cycle use on the main road network is now 173% higher than in 2000. However, even here the rate of increase of cycle serious injuries (+21% in one year) is exceeding the increase in cycle use.

CTC, the national cycling charity, has 69,000 members, and is the oldest and largest cycling body in the UK. CTC provides a comprehensive range of services, advice, events and protection for its members and works to promote cycling by raising public and political awareness of cycling's health, social and environmental benefits. Visit www.ctc.org.uk.

The risk of cycling is based on the number of road deaths (107 in 2011) per mile cycled (4.9 bn kms in 2011). Similar data for 1990-2011 (reproduced from Department for Transport data) can be found in the table below.

Notes to editors:CTC, the national cycling charity, has 69,000 members, and is the oldest and largest cycling body in the UK. CTC provides a comprehensive range of services, advice, events and protection for its members and works to promote cycling by raising public and political awareness of cycling's health, social and environmental benefits. Visit www.ctc.org.uk.

The risk of cycling is based on the number of road deaths (107 in 2011) per mile cycled (4.9 bn kms in 2011). Similar data for 1990-2011 (reproduced from Department for Transport data) can be found in the table below.